


Trials and Tribulations

by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)



Series: Wish Upon A Star [190]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Firebird, Hell, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 12:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6657121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayarox95/pseuds/mayawrites95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma and Killian must face the obstacles involved to save Zelena to save themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trials and Tribulations

If anyone had told Emma Swan that she would be going on a rescue mission to save Zelena, paired up with Hades, then she would have laughed. Hell, if anyone had told her just that morning that Hades would have shown up, desperate for her help, she would have laughed.

But there he had been, almost begging her for her help. He realized that despite having all the power in the underworld, he was powerless. Because he couldn't even pass through the one place Zeus had created to torment him, a place where only true love could pass.

Zeus had a twisted sense of humour, taking his brother's breath and creating a chamber of solitude. Which Pan teamed up with Rumple had decided to take advantage of when they banished Zelena there. What bigger punishment could there be than to trap his supposed true love in the place he could not enter?

She had been reluctant. What assurance was there that rescuing Zelena would make Hades keep his promise of releasing them all to the surface?

And it couldn't have been the epitome of true love with her mother on the surface. Nor could it be Regina and Robin with him watching his and Zelena's daughter.

Which left her and Killian.

She loved Killian Jones, that wasn't the question, but she had never had to prove her love through a test. There had been no curses or sleeping spells. No trials or tribulations they had to pass to prove it. It was just the feeling she felt, knowing she loved Killian with her entire heart.

But she would be lying if she said she wasn't terrified.

"Emma," he said softly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared," she admitted softly. "What if I can't do this?"

They had stopped just before the entrance of the cave, in front of the sign stating only true love could pass.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked, placing an arm around her waist.

"That I'm not enough, that it doesn't matter just how much I love you. What if one of it's enough? What if I can't do this?"

"You are enough," he told her fiercely, "And you're not alone in this. You need to believe that the two of us are strong enough to fulfill this task. You need to believe in us."

She nodded softly, as she slipped her hand through his, "Let's do this, together," she said with a smile.

It wasn't easy. There was obstacle after obstacle that they needed to face; the fires of hell, the twelve gates of the underworld, the Xibalba, and any other story of death there ever had been.

She was so afraid. But with every test of courage and strength, every test of _love_ , she grew braver. And the more she believed in their love and their ability to make it through to the end.

Once they had reached Zelena, the woman had looked pleased to see them. She looked tired and as if she had been tortured, and Emma felt sorry for the woman. Once Killian used his hook to rid her of the magic inhibiting cuff, Emma used magic to poof them out of the chamber. Thankfully, by reaching the woman, they had passed all the tests in question and using magic to teleport out was no longer prohibited.

And when Hades saw that Zelena was safe, and for the most part, in one piece, he looked at the two of them.

"It appears that I owe you a great deal," Hades said, looking tired. "For saving Zelena when I couldn't. For being a better person than I would have been in your shoes."

"Are you going to hold up your end of the deal?" Emma asked cautiously, wanting to make sure that it hadn't all been for naught.

"Yes," Hades nodded, "You, Killian, your son, Regina, Robin, his daughter, and your father can go. As can Zelena if it is what she wishes. Belle too may leave, and I will release her baby from the agreement Rumple and I have."

"And Rumplestilksin?" she asked curiously. "Is he allowed to go too?"

"That I cannot do," Hades said with a shake of his head, "I cannot allow that man to go unpunished for his actions. And I assume you will not protest, given everything he has done to your family."

Emma nodded, "I agree. But everything he did at this precise instance was to save his unborn child. He hoped that holding Zelena would be enough for you to terminate the contract. Don't get me wrong; he's far from a good man. But despite his round about approach, he did what he thought would be best."

Hades sighed, "I'll allow him to leave with you," he said, "But a compromise shall be made. What he loves most is the power of being the Dark One. And if I remove that power from him, he's left with nothing to cower behind."

"And where would the darkness go?" Killian asked, stepping forward.

"It would be released into the earth, properly this time. The balance between light and dark returned. Humanity is not inherently good or bad; it is the choices we make that define who we are. The darkness was never meant to be bound to one person. Nor was the light meant to be bound to Merlin. The world before that was filled with power, good and bad, balancing each other out. And to that it will return. People aren't born heroes or villains; they never were."

"Fair enough," she said, "All we ever wanted to do was remove the power of the Dark One before it all went horribly wrong."

"Then it is agreed upon," Hades said. "But let me warn you; I will not be as generous the next time one of your lot dies. They will remain here or pass on. I do have a realm to run."

"I though you would return to Olympus?" Zelena asked, as she looked up at Hades curiously.

"Kissing you would give me my life back," he told her, "It would allow me to walk the worlds for as long as I wish. It would allow me to see my brothers and sisters. But just as Olympus is Zeus' and the oceans belong to Poseidon, Hell is mine. And I shall go where ever you chose to go. But I must still come down here every now and then to make sure everything is running smoothly in my absence.

"I wish to stay," she said softly, "But I cannot bear to not see my daughter."

"I can let you come and go," Hades offered, "Six months on the surface with your daughter, and six months down here with me. And those six months you're gone, I shall visit you as often as you'd like, and the six months you're here, you can go visit her anytime you'd like."

"I agree to those terms," Zelena said, giving Regina a sad smile. "As long as my sister and her husband do not mind."

"I don't want my daughter to come down here," Robin said warningly, "And I want to have full custody. However I won't stop you from seeing your daughter Zelena. If you agree to my terms as well, then you can see her whenever you'd like."

"I can accept that," Zelena said, "All I've ever wanted was to be able to see her."

So with that Hades returned them to the surface and to their lives. Her mother had been ecstatic to have them all back in one piece. Rumple had been furious at his lack of magic, but there was nothing he could really do.

Emma had been more than happy to have Killian back. He moved into her place like they had planned back in Camelot, and she was elated. It was one thing to love someone completely. It was another to know that the two of you were soulmates, True Love, and meant to be.

And for now, at the very least, she would be able to enjoy their relationship together.


End file.
